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The Christmas lights pictured last year in Plymouth in all their glory

Matt and Victoria from the Heart South West breakfast show will be hosting this year’s Christmas lights switch on in Plymouth on Thursday, November 15, which also launches the Christmas countdown and marks the start of late-night shopping in the city.

The entertainment starts at 4pm, with performances from local schools, theatre groups and the Party Princesses.

The cast of Shrek The Musical, on at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from November 13 to 24, will also appear on stage.

Look out for a very special arrival during the evening as Santa himself will be coming along too.

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Meanwhile, our colleagues on The Herald will be there giving away a Cadbury's selection pack when you buy your copy of our sister newspaper at the vending pod outside House of Fraser from 8:30am to 4:30pm - and then a fantastic Disney Light-up wand with every Herald purchased between 4:30pm and 8pm.

Following the lights switch on, local band The Native will perform an hour-long set to the crowds, featuring their alternative indie sound.

It's been a huge year for the band, who performed at some of the South West’s biggest festivals and opened for Bastille at MTV Presents: Ocean City Sounds following a public vote.

They’ve also recently released their debut EP ‘Fall Down’.

Who is Mark Ormrod?

Brave Mark lost three limbs in a blast (Image: SWNS)

On Christmas Eve 2007, Mark Ormrod’s bloodied body lay still in the back of a military chopper.

Thinking he was dead, medics stopped working on him and began focusing their attention on another injured Royal Marine.

“They were feeling for a pulse but I didn’t have one,” he says. “They tried putting intravenous lines into me but my veins had collapsed because of the blood loss and they put an oxygen mask on me, which didn’t steam up or show any signs that I was breathing, so at that point they classed me as dead and then got to work on the other guy.

“That’s how brutal you have to be in that situation or else you could end up with two dead bodies.

“It wasn’t until one of the medics walked passed me to get some equipment to go work back on the other guy that they saw my eye flutter, which meant my heart was still beating.”

That simple moment saved his life, but that life would never be the same again.

Mark and his wife Becky (Image: SWNS)

After stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) while in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the then 24-year-old lost both legs and his right arm.

Ten years on and he still remembers everything from the moment they left camp that morning.

After triggering the device, a cloud of dust filled the air. “My initial thought was that we were under attack,” he says.

“As the dust began to settle and finally disappeared I saw what had happened and very quickly realised what I had done.

“The last thing I remember is the helicopter landing, the sandstorm that the propellers created, the heat coming down from the exhaust pipe and then the kind of mechanical sound of the tailgate dropping and then I blacked out.”

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Mark woke up in a hospital in the UK a few days later. He was alive but his recovery would be a long and difficult process. He says every day he learns something new.

“One of the hardest things for me when I eventually healed from all these open wounds and got the prosthetic,” he says.

“I knew it would be hard but I had no idea how hard it would be.

“I was 24 when I got injured probably at the peak of my physical fitness. I thought I was invincible and then I strapped on a set of prosthetics a couple of months later and just walking on a set of parallel bars one time would wipe me out for the day and literally drain all the energy that I had and then I would have to go and rest.

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“I had a lot of time to sit and think and contemplate and it was tough to take that in. One minute I’m as fit as you can be and the next minute I can’t walk five metres between some parallel bars because it wipes me out.

“That was a real low point for me and a real wake-up call to how difficult the whole rehab journey was going to be.”

Since the blast, Mark has helped inspire and motivate others by sharing his story.

Plymouth's Christmas Market

Plymouth Christmas Market is coming back (Image: Penny Cross)

The Christmas Market is returning to the city centre Piazza this winter and will be bringing over 50 stalls with it.

This year the market will start on Thursday, November 29, and will end on Sunday, December 16.

How long is it on for?

The market will run for 17 days, ending on Sunday, December 16.

What are the opening hours?

Monday to Wednesday - 10am to 6pm

Thursday - 11am to 9pm

Friday - 11am to 6pm

Saturday - 10am to 6pm

Sunday - 10am to 5pm

What can you buy?

The full list of traders for the market hasn't been revealed just yet, however based on last year visitors are going to be in for a treat.

There will be gifts and trinkets and PLENTY of food stalls, drinks on offer will include beer, gluhwein, hot chocolate and teas or coffees.

There will also be an even bigger Bavarian bar with heated seats, 10 new stands and festive food to keep visitors going.